Name: NAILA
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Nationality: Egyptian-Canadian
Current release: NAILA's new single “Can’t Keep Up”, which includes a Misty remix, is out via Beatroot.
Recommendations: A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle; Heavenly Father (cover) - Highasakite and Bon Iver (original)

If you enjoyed this NAILA interview and would like to find out more about her music, visit her on Instagram.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

I listen with my eyes open but I almost lose all sight.

It turns into an instant inwards state; an inner party or journey … the world stops and everything starts happening.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

My very first steps were sadly no steps at all. Powered by great anxiety, I had selective mutism and barely spoke in front of people for over 14 years.

My secret love for singing was never able to be expressed until I made my first couple of songs (which happened totally by mistake)!

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

At that age I remember life being super turbulent; the typical teenage sensitive artist experience.

But I remember music being that trigger button; a place where every emotion was able to peak and be. All kinds of genres unlocked different sorts of emotions, and the mere fact that our iPods were so accessible, kinda of added to the emotional rollercoaster!

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?
 
I bought a guitar around the same time I started making music, which was in college. Even though I plateaued at 4 or 5 chords, it gave me something to sing to.

I remember spending hours of everyday day solo-jamming in my Montreal apartment. Super cringe when I hear it now.

What would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

I think I really love the chemical state I enter when I sing. It feels like the only meditative portal I can access. Something just takes off..I feel so happy.

Another motivating factor is the impact these songs can have on people. Nothing has ever made me feel more full of purpose to know that my songs have the power to make people feel good, even if it’s just in their showers or cars.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

I try to zoom out and listen to my tracks without focusing on all the little mistakes or things I could have edited. But sometimes I get caught up in all the ‘little things I could’ve changed’. Nonetheless, I tend to enjoy the mystery in my music.

There’s always this sense of ‘me’ being present in the vocals but still super distant. Something about that irony, really works for me as a listener. It feels like the ‘me’ in the story isn’t pouring herself out fully, and feels half there … it kind of makes me want more.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

The MRI machine. I’ll never forget the way I felt the couple of times I had to sit inside an MRI machine, feeling super anxious and trapped and needing to find a way to control my mind fast. So, I started hearing a cool party beat in that horrible sound. I closed my eyes and envisioned the best parties ever.

That’s when I knew that we had power over ourselves, and that music had an even greater power over us!

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

I find myself responding to songs that journey … things that start somewhere and move up and down. Silences before drops, calmness before chaos and harmonies on vocals.

I am a sucker for harmonies.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

I wish I could explain a certain way I do things, but I create based on total impulse and intuition.

I usually listen to a melody or beat and come up with a verse right away. That verse is usually the foundation of whatever comes next.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

“Coward,” my very first song, which I consider the magic key that unlocked everything music for me. The process was unreal.

I met up with Ash while living in Montreal and took a dear friend, Mostafa, with me. None of us planned anything and we somehow just left the universe to lead. Mostafa held the Guitar and came up with a beautiful melody … ash added some great beats to it … and I felt the sudden urge to sing.

The three of us just spewed out our impulses … and a couple of hours later, “Coward” was on YouTube.

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

I think the biggest experiment of all is vocal training. I sadly have to admit that I’ve only done around 10 sessions in my life, but the way the vocal muscles change when excersized, is mind-boggling.

To know that we have the ability to strengthen and control our vocal chords and create the songs we want to hear is so empowering. That to me, feels like science.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Intuition. No plan. No fear. No reference.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Making music is an invitation to dive into the deepest ends of the pool and access parts that any regular task can’t reach.

It’s where a lot of magic sits, and it’s a true honor to be able to access that entire dimension.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

Anything Bon Iver. I can’t even use words.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

I wish for my vocals to be featured on the tracks of my favorite DJs and producers.